So, for a long time I've needed a new backpack. My current one has served with distinction for the past 5 years of academia, but it's starting to wear thin. I plan on designing and building my own backpack for daily use as well as possibly expanding it for camping/general travel. The idea is to make a solid frame out of 1/2 inch dowels, with a 'foot' protruding at a right angle at the bottom of the frame. That frame will have the first layer of the basic cloth of the bag, which will ideally be a sandwich of heavy canvas and a type of batting used to insulate ironing boards. The main 'pocket' of the pack will be a open top with a flip over canvas cover with two buckles on leather straps to fasten it. With this design I feel like I gain a lot of flexibility for what kind of things I can put in the pack and it leaves me open to add more pockets all around it as i find them necessary. The whole thing will be machine sewn, and then riveted, but I haven't found a good durable thread that I like yet, short of kevlar. The part of the pack that will actually be against my back will be triple padded with the insulated batting and impact foam over the bars of the frame. canvas straps, 2 inches wide and padded at the shoulders with adjustable buckles (leather)
Has anyone ever done anything like this before? Designed and built their own gear?
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I don't know how determined you are to building your own bacg, but there's a company out in San Francisco called Mission Workshop that makes absolutely stellar handmade bag that truly last. I've owned one for over a year and with daily wear and camping trips, it literally looks just like the day I bought it. I'm pretty certain these are the same guys that designed the fantastic Chrome bags as well. Anyway, they have a pretty cool system there where they make modular bags called Arkiv that are completely built out of what you choose for it, like number of pockets, size, additional things on top of the bag, but they're really fucking expensive if you take that route, so who knows if that's up your alley. Even if you don't want to buy from them though, they're a small company of complete enthusiasts who are stoked about what they do, so if you email them for advice on building your own and what materials to use, I'm sure they'd love to respond and help out.
Oh wow. That's a beautiful backpack. I'm going with 20 oz khaki duck canvas, and a similar modular idea. First I'm making the main bag, with a drawstring neck, and a flap top, secured by a pair of leather straps/buckles recycled from some old belts. I took the measurements for the straps from my current backpack that fits really well, and I'm trying to find a good system to make the bottom part of the straps that attaches to the bottom of the bag adjustable, and I want to do it out of leather and buckles like the strapping if I can. Before I sew the main 'box' of the bag shut I'm going put double layered reinforcing straps of the canvas along the inside of the panel that faces my back to help anchor the area where the straps, flap and top handle of the backpack all come together. http://imgur.com/a/M3ZwX Here's the first tracing and cut of the bag, I modeled it out of construction paper first, and I'm sewing it tonight, couldn't do it last night because I need a denim needle for the sewing machine I'm borrowing.
I have never built or designed my own gear, though I have often improvised solutions to immediate problems. I used to date a girl who was hellbent on building her own couch though. I'm not sure she ever finished it. It seems like a fun idea, but I think it could be tough to pull off to your satisfaction unless you already have some idea of how to go about accomplishing it. Have you made any prototypes just to get a feel for how you'd like to approach the final product?
I found This and plan on mostly doing that, with minor modifications. I'm going to cut the panels myself, arrange them in the appropriate context with pins, and then consult my mother about the sewing. My big problem right now is the fact that I'm great at visualization but I can't draw worth a damn to get my ideas down on paper.
Well, that's why I asked about prototyping. It's great to be able to plan physical objects on paper, but for something that you're making custom for yourself, it might be worth making a prototype to get an idea for fit, weight, etc. That is a nice looking backpack though.
Should I make it out of construction paper or something to get a better idea of dimensions? Also if you feel like dropping the cash this is the website of the guy who makes them.
I think construction paper might be a good idea, as you can figure out how much stuff you'll typically carry and how to distribute it. Since you have that website (thanks for the link by the way) you might even ask the guy if he could give you some tips, or if you can bounce ideas off of him. Incidentally, last night I spoke to a good friend interested in opening up a food truck or a lunch counter. He met a guy involved in that stuff, whose kid happened to go to the same preschool as my friend's kid. They ended up hanging out and through talking about my friend's ideas, the guy ended up hiring him to manage a cafe. Your situation is a bit different, but there may just be some interesting opportunities for your interests to work to your advantage. Just my 2 cents.